Sausage-stuffer.



C. HANKE.

SAUSAGE STUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED r1111. 3, 1912.

1,075,823. Patented 00111 11913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUIIBlA rumour 00.. wunmam. n. c.

G. HANKE.

SAUSAGE STUPFER.

APPLICATION IILBD FEB. 2, 1912.

G. HANKE.

SAUSAGE STUFFER.

APPLIOATION nun ran. a, 1912.

1,075,823. Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

3 SHEETSBHEET 3.

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QarZ @Yazww w WV l I Witnesses J COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH cc.,wAs|1|Nu'roN. D. c,

CARL HANKE. OF BIANCOCK. I IICHIGAN.

SAUSAGE-STUFFER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14:, 1913.

Application filed Februaly 3, 1912. Serial No. 675,187.

To a]! whom it may comi'cm Be it. known that l, CARL I'IANKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hanco k, in the county of Iloughton and State of Michigan. have invented certain new and useful improvements in Sausage-Stuflers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand operated sausage stulfers.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple. highly efiicient and inexpensive valve mechanism for a sausage stutter, which is designed to save exertion, time and trouble in operating a sausage stuffer.

in most of the sausage stutiing machines \vhirh are in use today, there are no means independent of the plunger which fills the stutter with meat for checking the advance of the meat when the pressure exerted by the plunger shall be at its utmost, and I have found from experiment that a valve interposed between the meat container and the opening of the discharge nozzle thereof, can he made to quickly admit and cut-off the feed of meat from the meat container into the nozzle.

The leading feature of my invention resides in providing a suitable valve attachment for a sausage stutter which is arranged to be actuated by the same crank that actuatcs the driving mechanism for moving the plunger to press the meat. Bv means of ma arrangement not only can the operator advance and retract the plunger but through the inst rumcntalitv of the same means he is enabled to control the valve mechanism in order that when the nozzle is filled, the meat pressed by the plunger shall not further advancc.

'ith the above and other objects in view my invention consists in the combination, arrangement and details of construction clearly shown in the drawings and then lll re particularly minted out in the appended claims.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts thrtaighout the several views of the drawings in which.

Figure l is a top plan view of a sausage slutl'cr to which my valve is attached in operative position. Fig. 2 a vertiail end sec tending outwardly therefrom is a bracing tion thereof, Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a driving gear wheel, Fig. 4 is a cross sec tional view of the spur wheel element shown in Fig. it). with the conical tooth portion obliterated, Fig. 5 is a cross sectional Vie of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the yielding tooth to be hereinafter described,

and showing the valve rod in section, Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the valve mechanism, partly broken away and partly in section, Fig. 8 is a. longitudinal sectional view taken on the line B -B of Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the valve mechanism. Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view of one of the driving gears to be described, Fig. 11 is a sectional view in detail of the guide for the valve rod, Fig. 12 is a fragmental view in elevation of the valve casing showing the shoulders for limiting the plug of the valve therein, and Fig. 13 is a detail view of a shaft cooperating to drive the gear wheel shown in Fig. 10.

l contemplate using the valve mechanism to he described upon every form of sausage stutter now in use, and my device Will have to be mounted upon the stutter in operative relation at preferably two points, the valve casing being rcmovably secured to the stufl'er at cne point and side of the meat container of the staffer. which is shown herein as a cylinder 1, and the actuating means for the valve being connected to the driving gear for the plunger in said cylinder at another point at the opposite side thereof.

in 'n'actice it will be necessary to select the proper form of gear wheel from those to be enumerated hereafter, for the purpose of causing the operating crank not only to drive the gear mechanism for the plunger but to actuate the valve which i have devised.

For the purpose of illustration only. show a rotatable shaft 2 carrying a bevel wheel 3 ar 'anged to mesh with the teeth in a conical portion t formed integral upon the spur wheel 5, the aXis of shaft 6 of vhicl carries a handle 7 serving as a crank for turning said spur wheel to actuate the first named shaft Whether the gear wheels in the present type of machine for moving the plunger are disposed in a ver tical or horizontal plane will matter little as the spur wheel for operating my valve may he operatively connected therewith by disposing the valve rod relatively to the spur wheel.

Mounted upon the meat cylinder 1 and arm 8. and secured to the free end of said arm 8 is a guide member 11 for the valve rod 1!). suitable means being employed to fasten the guide in fixed relation upon the arm such as a screw bolt 3) tapped through the t'loor of the guide and clan'iped by means ot the nut 10 against the arm 8.

The guide 11 is, as clearly shown in Fi ll, a vertical hollow casing in the space 12 of which is movable the rectangular rod 1;) remoyably secured to the valve rod 11 Near the upper end of the guide it is termed an opening H through which normally projet-ts a tongue 13 secured to a bar spring 16, fixed at its lower end at- IT to theguide 11,:1nd tree to move outwardly of the guide so as to retract the tongue 15. Fixedly secured by any suitable means such as a bolt 19 to the top of the guide 11 is a sear spring 18 haying its lower end bearing upon the rod 1.) to hold it in operative position relatively to the driving spur wheel 5?). The tongue 15 and spring member 16 are provided to hold the rod 13 out of operating position so that the tooth 52 may beheld out ot' engagement with the spur wheel 5) whenever the meat cylinder is empty and it is desired to till the same by retracting the plunger, but without actuating the valve plug to open position as would be the case it the tooth were held in engagement with the spur wheel. The operator etl'ects this by manua ly raising the rod 123 until the spring pressed tongue 15 snaps under it.

The end 20 of the rectangular bar rod 13 is screwthreaded into the rod 1.) which is hollow to receive it, and at the opposite end of said rod is screw-tlu'ezuled the shank 21 of a bifurcated member .22 between the ottsets of which is pivoted the valve o jierating arm 23, having an upper arm 25. which may serve to replace arm 2 1- should the latter be broken. T ie hollow rod 11 will preferably be formed with right and left handed screwpi'lches at i s opposite ends for the members El and iii. The arms 23 and 25 form a lcier which its intermediate point is formed with a right angular rod :24 which is screwthreaded at 243 to the recti-ingular end 27 of a preferably conical plug or valve 31. the tlange 28 carried by the member 2? ha 'ing engagement with the periphery of the boss 25) forming an integral part of the casin ll. The free end of the plug 31 is formed with a reduced screw threaded portion 37 which loosely surrounded by a ring 39 arranged to bear immediately against a washer 38, the nut it) engaging the screw threaded portion 34' to hold said ring against said washer, which washer bears upon a boss 30, which is diametrically opposite the boss 29 of the casing 41. The conical plug is formed with diametrically opposite and elongated openings 32 and 33 respectively, which openings are preferably in length equal to the diameter of the bore 37 of the casing 41.

Formed Within the bore 37 of the casing 11 is a hollow member or casing 36 providing a snug fitting tor the conical valve 31, and formed with diametrically opposite and elongated openings and respectively adapted to register with the openings in said plugs. The arrangement and disposition of the conical plug 31 in the hollow member an of the using it is such that when the openings :32 and 133 of the plug register with the eo-extensive openings 31 and 3.) formed in said member the lovers formed by the arms 23 and 725 will be obliquely disposed relatively to the longitudinal axis of the casing 41, and so that the lever may be turned one-quarter of a rotation to occupy an oblique position as shown in Fig. 8, in order to throw said openings out of register and to cause said plug to bar the openings 34 and 3;") in the casing or hollow member 86.

i\ swiveling coupling l2 engages the out ermost end of the casing -l l which is formed with a bore connnunicating with the bore 37 of said casing and with a discharge nozzle 1 respectively, which nozzle is operatively secured to said coupling The swivcling coupling 43 which may be of any make and form to tit in size and shape the bore in the sausage stutter cylinder. engages the opposite end of the cylinder ll and provides intercommunication between the cylinder and the bore 37 of casing ll so that the meat may, when the plug is open, pass from the cylinder into the casing and out of the discharge nozzle (31.

The casing 41 may be formed with a screw threaded extension 44 engaged by the coupling 13, and a handle 45 may be formed upon said coupling 43 as a means for swiveling it or for screwing it onto the cylinder.

Formed upon the rectangular rod 13 near its free end is an elongated opening which is spanned at its end nearest. to the guide 11 by a transverse pivot 46 upon which is mounted the elongated portion t? of a dog or yielding tooth 50, the upper edge of which is normally engaged by the free end of a bar spring 48, which is fixed at lf) to the solid part of the rod 13, said spring serving to hold the right angular (itlset 51 of the dog or tooth 50 in overlapping contact upon the upper edge of said rod in order that the dog or tooth may suitably project thereunder. A preferably single tooth 52 having a rounded edge is formed at the extreme end of the rectangular rod 13 and is arranged to enter snugly the correspondingly shaped recess formed by the opposite teeth of the spur or cog Wheel 53, which as above stated forms part of the conical bevel wheel The cog wheel 53 is of such a construction as to accommodate it to be easily connected to a shaft disposed either in a vertical or hori zontal plane and for this purpose said cog Wheel is formed with a substantially Greek cross recess, each of the otfsets of which recess is designated 56 and terminates in its back portion in a rounded enlargement 56. It will thus be seen that the combined spur and bevel wheel is formed with a new arrangel'nent of slots which is preferable to those commonly in use, which latter were open to the objection of causing the pin 61 formed upon the shaft to slip out of said slots 56, thereby also causing the said shaft pins to lose control of the plunger in the meat cylinder resulting in creating a suction in the latter.

The specially constructed shaft 55, shown clearly in Fig. 13, is formed near one end with a pin 61 which projects at right angles to the axis of said shaft, as clearly shown in said figure, the arrangement being such that the pin may engage two oppositely arranged slots 56 of the Greek cross recess above mentioned in either a horizontal or a vertical plane as shown in Fig. 10.

It will be noticed that the cog wheel 53 is formed with a bore 53 through which the shaft 55 may pass in an obvious manner. Instead of the cog wheel described the form of driving toothed wheel 59 may be used equally well, said toothed wheel 59 is formed with a tubular extension 60 through which and the bore of the wheel a shaft may be passed, this style of wheel requiring a setscrew as a means of attachment to a shaft.

The boss 29 integrally formed upon the casing 41 terminates in an annular member 63 which has its opposite ends 63 and 64: spaced apart, as clearly shown in Fig. 12, so as to form limiting shoulders against which an outwardly extending pin 62 formed upon the flange 28 upon the end 27 of the plug may contact when the valve shall have been turned to opened or closed position respectively.

The device will operate as follows: The cylinder 1 containing the meat has a plunger (not shown) working therein for the purpose of turning the meat out of the cylinder into the casing to be filled and as hereinbefore described, the plunger is actuated by the crank 7 through the instrumentality of the toothed wheel described.

Ordinarily when the crank of the sausage stutter is turned to actuate the plunger, the meat is directly acted upon by the plunger and is forced through the discharge nozzle into the skin: in order that the operator may prevent the overfilling of the skin he must hold the crank inert while the pressure of the meat is still being exerted and must also manipulate the crank in such a way as to fill the discharge nozzle. a process which is most tedious and wasteful. I have provided my valve attachment to obviate this source of annoyance, and when the crank 7 is turned it not only actuates the plunger and thereby causes the meat in the cylinder to be forced outwardly by said plunger into the bore 37 of the casing 11, but it also, owing to the cog wheel 53 turned by the crank, actuates the plug 31, establishing intercommunication between the inlet and outlet ends of said casing 41. The tooth 52 formed upon the rod 13 is held in a recess between the teeth of the cog wheel 53, the plug 31 will be partially open and as the crank is turned to actuate the plunger the meat forced by the plunger into the casing will be free to enter the nozzle 61 and fill the skin applied to the nozzle. The operator continues to turn the crank until the tooth 52 rides clear of said cog wheel so that the teeth f the cog wheel may respectively engage the dog or yielding tooth 50 working in the slot 50 which will be forced aside out of the appropriate recess of the cog Wheel in which it fits to allow the cog wheel to turn; when the tooth 52 shall be out of range of the cog wheel 53, it will be held down in its position by means of sear spring 18. If the meat cylinder is empty it. can be refilled without actuating the valve mechanism by taking hold of the rod 13 and lifting it, said rod being guided in the member 11, and it will be free to ride upwardly against the inwardly projecting dog 15 which will snap under it to prevent the tooth 52 falling into engagement with the cog wheel 53, until the rod 15 shall be forced downward and restored to its normal position. When the handle 7 is actuated the lever arm will be moved to an oblique position to open the plug and allow the skins to be filled. \Vhen the arm 23 shall have have been moved to its last named position, the plug 31 will be in open position and its openings 32 and 33 will be in register with the corresponding openings 34 and 35 in the casing. lVhen sufficient meat' has passed through the nozzle 61 to fill a casing, the operator will release hold upon the crank handle 7 whereupon the pressure of the meat in the meat cylinder will automatically move the crank handle in a reverse direction thereby causing the cog wheel 53 through the gear connections to retract the plunger from the meat which is forced against the closed plug and as the cog wheel is slightly moved its teeth will engage the yielding dog 50 at its forward edge and will thereby move the red 13 backwardly a sufficient distance to cause the arm 23 connected to the plug to occupy the position shown in Fig. 9; it will be noticed that as the teeth of the cog wheel 53 engage the forward edge of the dog 50. said dog will serve as a supplementary tooth upon the rod 13 since it cannot move through the slot 50 because its right angular offset 50 is forced by said teeth rigidly in contact with the up per edge 13 and as the tooth 50 is dislodged. said first named tooth will be caused to drop into the appropriate recess in the cog Wheel because the tooth 50 Will then be clear of the Wheel and the tooth 52 Within range thereof and as said cog wheel is ro tated to retract the plunger its teeth will engage the tooth 52 and further move the rod l?) backwardlv to close the alve 31 by moving the arm connected to said valve to its opposite oblique position to cause the openings 32 and within said plug to tall out of register with the corresponding openings 3i and 35 of the casing. no exertion on the part of the operator will be required in turning the crank 7 in a reverse direction because immediately after the dog 50 has been impelled by the cog wheel 53 and the arm in its position, shown in 9, the pressure upon the meat will be so great that when the crank is released the meat will expand to normal forcing a retrograde n1ovement of the entire mechanism which opcrates to cause the valve to close to its fullest extent. When the valve is open the meat will rush through the bore 37' of the casing 41, and through the nozzle 61 communicating there ith and into the skin to be filled. The operator will then repeat the operation above described to till another skin.

Numerous modifications may be resorted to in practice without departing in essence from the invention disclosed.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A device of the kind described comprising a meat cylinder having a meat pressing plunger. a casing removably secured thereto and having a discharge nozzle, a valve in said casing arranged to admit and cut ott' the supply of meat to said nozzle, means for simultaneously actuating said plunger and moving said valve to open position, means for preventing the actuation of said valve, and means. for simultaneously retracting said plunger and moving said valve to open position.

2. A device ot the kind dcscribcd comprising a meat cylinder having a meat press ing plunger. a casing removablv connected thereto and having a discharge spout. a rotatal'ile valve disposed in said casing, 11. valve rod projetaing exteriorly of said casing, a wheel for actuating said plunger and formed with a cog wheel oflt-set, a lever rotatablv mounted upon said rod, a .rod pivoted to said lever and having an integral tooth meshing with said cog, wheel oitset, means for holding said tooth in engagement with the cog wheel, said tooth riding clear of said cog-wheel wl'i-en said plunger is actuated whereby said valve will be open. means for holding said tooth out of engagement with said cog-wheel, said wheel being reversible to retract the plunger, and mean for causing said tooth to operatively engage said cog Wheel. during its reverse movement to close said valve.

3. In combination With a meat cylinder having a meat pressing plunger, a valve cas ing removably secured thereto and having a discharge nozzle, a rotatable valve in said using opening and closing communication between said cylinder and nozzle, a hand o erated wheel for actuating said plungar. means actuated during a part of the cycle of said wheel to rotate said valve and open and close it respectively as it moves in opposite directions, and means for holding said valve against rotation as said wheel is turnal.

i. A device of the kind described comprising a meat cylinder having a meat pressing plung r, a casing removably secured to said cylinder and having a discharge spout, a valve in said casing arranged to open and close communication be tween said cylinder and spout, a cog-wheel having a member operativelv actuating said plunger, a rod having a tooth normallv meshing with said cog wheel, a yieldable tooth (ftiditlglltlllfii to said first named tooth. said cog wheel when rotating t'orcing said first named tooth out. of mesh, means for holding said latter tooth in position to mesh with said cog wheel, said plunger bu ing retracttal during the reverse movement of said cog wheel, said cog-Wheel during its reverse movement engaging said yieldable tooth to restore said other tooth to normal position, and n sans for holding said valve inactive as said cog wheel rotates.

In combination a meat cylinder, a casing rcmovablv secured thereto, said cylinder having a meat pressing plunger, a discharge nozzle secured to said casing and having oppositely arranged openings, an annular member formed in said casing surrounding said valve and having oppositely arranged openings arranged to register with said first named openings, a lever dispcsed cxterioriv of said casing and arranged to rotate said val vc. reciprocatablc means engaging said lever to cause said openings to ta l in and out ot register. a mei'nber rotating to actuate said plunger, means controlled by said rotatable member to actuate sa d last named means before the operation of said member is complete, and means for holding said valve against movement as said member rotates.

o. in combination a meat receptacle, an outlet ctmnecled thereto, a valve in said outlet. a plunger for causing pressure in paid receptacle, operating means for said valve and means whcicbv a release of manual control of said operating means will cause said valve to clcse.

'i'. in combination a cylinder, plunger thereon. a casing removablv secured thereto having? a discharge spout. a rotatal'ile valve tllclron. means tor operating said plunger, said means adapted to operate said valve,

said valve adapted to be reversed, a lever sc cured to said valve, an elongated rod to which said lever is pivoted, means for limiting the movement of said lever, said means consisting of tooth wheels and a cog wheel for operating same.

8. in combination a cylinder, a plunger thereon, a casing reinovably secured thereto having a discharge spout, a rotatable valve thereon, means for operating said plunger, said means adapted to operate said valve, said valve adapted to be reversed, a lever stiil'ltltti to said valve, an elongated rod to which said lever is pivoted, means or lin'iiting the movement of said lever, said means consisting of tooth wheels, a cog wheel for operating same, a guide having an opening in which said rod is disposed.

5'). In combination a cylinder, a plunger thereon. a casing relnovably secured thereto having a discharge spout, a rotatable valve thereon, means for operating said plunger, said means adapt d to operate said valve, said valve adapted to be reversed, a lever secured to said valve, an elongated rod to which said lever is pivoted, means for limiting the movement of said lever, said means consisting of tooth wheels, a cog wheel tor operating same, a guide having an opening in which said rod is disposed, a spring arm having a latch projecting through said opening and engaging said rod.

it). In combination a cylinder, a plunger thereon, a casing removably secured thereto having a discharge spent, a rotatable valve thereon, means for operating said plunger, said means adapted to operate said valve, said valve adapted to b reversed, a lever secured to said valve, an elongated rod to which said lever is pivoted, means for limiting the movement of said lever, said means consisting of tooth wheels, a cog Wheel for operating same, a guide having an opening in which said rod is disposed, a spring arm having a latch projecting through said opening and engaging said rod, a tooth 011 the free end of said rod and means for causing said tooth to engage said cog wheel.

11. In combination a cylinder, a plunger thereon, a casing removably secured thereto having a discharge spout, a rotatable valve thereon, means for operating said plunger, said means adapted to operate said valve, said valve adapted to be reversed, a lever secured to said valve, an elongated rod to which said lever is pivoted, means for limiting the movement of said lever, said means consisting of tooth wheels, at cog Wheel for operating same, a guide having an opening in which said rod is disposed, a spring arm having a latch projecting through said opening and engaging said rod, a tooth on the free end of said rod, means for causing said tooth to engage said cog wheel, and an auxiliary tooth on said rod arranged to be dislodged when said cog wheel is actuated.

12. In combination a meat receptacle, an outlet connected thereto, a valve in said outlet, a plunger for causing pressure in said receptacle, operating means for said valve and means whereby a release of manual control of: said operating means will cause said valve to close, said means being operated by the action of said plunger caused by said pressure.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL HANKE. d itn esses M. A. EUDY, JAoon BAER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

